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MICHAEL COHEN LAWYER TELLS JUDGE TRUMP ATTORNEY COULD SOON BE INDICTED

BY JESSICA KWONG ON 4/20/18 AT 4:12 PM
http://www.newsweek.com/michael-cohen-indicted-trump-stormy-daniels-895471

Michael Cohen’s attorney argued in a Los Angeles court Friday that a lawsuit against the president’s personal lawyer filed by Stormy Daniels should be delayed because Cohen could soon be indicted.

Related: Trump Being Investigated for Pulling ‘Con Job After Con Job’ on Americans, Stormy Daniels's Lawyer Claims

Cohen and Trump were seeking a 90-day delay to a lawsuit filed by Daniels arguing that a non-disclosure agreement she signed prior to the 2016 election was invalid because Trump never signed it. U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero postponed ruling on the matter Friday, giving Cohen until Wednesday to file a declaration that he will refuse to answer questions due to his right to invoke the Fifth Amendment to protect against self-incrimination.

Cohen had his office, home and hotel room raided by the FBI last week, with officials seizing documents related to his $130,000 payment made to Daniels. As part of his push for a delay, Cohen lawyer Brent Blakely claimed that “the potential indictment of client" puts Cohen "in a very difficult situation," according to CNBC.

Blakely said that Cohen could be indicted within 90 days, pointing to a previous statement from Daniels’s lawyer Michael Avenatti to that effect, CNN reported.

Michael Avenatti
@MichaelAvenatti
Always a bad sign when the judge tells you that your motion has “gaping holes in it,” as the judge told the attys for MC and DJT this AM. I don’t know why they continue to hide what they know about the FBI raids. Time to come clean and let the chips fall where they may. #basta

8:15 PM - Apr 20, 2018


Five days earlier, Avenatti told CNN: “I strongly believe that within the next 90 days we’re going to see the unsealing of an indictment against Mr. Cohen for a host of very serious offenses."

Avenatti, who has repeatedly taken the opportunity to slam Cohen and Trump, believes Cohen will decide to flip on the president by this summer or earlier, and become a witness.

“There is zero question in my mind that Michael Cohen is going to be indicted for some very serious, pervasive conduct,” Avenatti told Vanity Fair in a report published Thursday.

Avenatti claims to have evidence that Cohen engaged in bank fraud and that it will prove that Trump was aware that Cohen paid Daniels and other women hush money to cover up alleged affairs.

“There’s a significant level of cooperation between us and the Southern District of New York U.S. attorney’s office,” he added.

Trump is reportedly worried about the charges that Cohen could potentially be hit with, and whether his lawyer will flip.

http://www.newsweek.com/michael-cohen-indicted-trump-stormy-daniels-895471